


Between You and Me

by Shadowfishy



Category: League of Legends
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25724932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowfishy/pseuds/Shadowfishy
Summary: Jayce is given a task to act as a charming host for a Noxian dignitary by Caitlyn. Despite his initial refusal, his ego doesn't allow him to decline when he finds out the Noxian had requested him personally.
Relationships: Darius/Jayce (League of Legends)
Kudos: 7





	Between You and Me

Jayce was not keen on the idea of being a tour guide. Caitlyn had reached out to him twice daily for the last week, coaxing Jayce into agreeing to her special task. Despite his resistance, he eventually bites the bullet, and pretty soon, Jayce had been enlisted for ‘foreign escort’. It wasn’t ideal, in fact, any dignitary or socialite from another faction would be better off meeting a clan head or any of the police force. Jayce was a defender, inventor and public hero. His public persona spent a lot of his outwardly positive capabilities, often causing him to go home to his quiet workshop to recharge and be alone peacefully. So when he was told he was to be a Noxian visitor’s host for the next month, Jayce protested vehemently.

“There’s absolutely no way I’m hosting a Noxian dignitary. Do I look like the kinda guy to give a crap? I’m an inventor, not a tour guide, Cait.”

“It isn’t that big of a deal. Just find him a place to stay, show him around, tell him what makes Piltover great without giving up confidential secrets. And curb the attitude. I’m sure the guest will love egotism.” The policewoman took a sip from her teacup, eyes barely visible over the brim of the cup. She always made the gesture when she was being sassy, amused by Jayce’s arguing. 

“I won’t do it. I’ve got more important things to do. Why can’t Vi do it?” Caitlyn froze for only a moment before tilting her head to the side, one eyebrow raised as if to ask ‘did you really just ask that?’ Her expression said everything. “Right. Worst idea. Alright, got me there. But what about you?”

“Paperwork. Regardless of your arguing, Defender… I didn’t want to tell you this, because I know it’ll go to your head, but you were requested personally. It would seem Jayce Giopara has gained notoriety even outside of our fair Piltover.” Another sip from her teacup, yet Jayce could easily notice a smirk on the woman’s face. Jayce had always had a monstrous ego. It was only slightly impressive that his fame would spread to Noxus of all places.

Jayce ran a hand through his hair, slight heat rising in his cheeks. Had a foreigner with so much power and a high status truly asked for him personally? That would seal the deal. It was out of his hands now. “Guess I’ve got no choice then. But next time you throw somethin’ like this on me, you better start with padding my ego, got it? Saves this whole stupid argument. I was never gonna get outta here saying no, was I?”

“No.” Caitlyn stated, a hint of a giggle in the one word. “But it’s nice to see you try. I do enjoy our chats, Jayce. Like it or not, you’re one of the better people to talk to around here. You should go and prepare. I hear the visitor’s quite intimidating. I do hope you remain brave in his presence.”

And that had been their conversation. Caitlyn had roped Jayce into being a Noxian’s host and escort. Jayce wouldn’t have time for inventing for the next month, and even if he did, Caitlyn had trusted him with this task. There had been an unspoken understanding between them that wasn’t present with the gun specialist and her partner Vi. Vi could be reckless, abrasive and loud. She wouldn’t understand the possible risks hosting another nation’s dignitary could bring to Piltover. A slip of the tongue, or exposing a practice in Piltover could lead to a leak of information that could eventually be Piltover’s downfall. Jayce had been rightfully entrusted with keeping all of that a secret, for he deeply loved Piltover. It was his city, and though the nickname Defender had been bestowed upon him by the masses, he had taken it to heart and did everything he could to not only protect Piltover, but greatly improve the lives of its citizens.

So, he stood at the door of his mansion, one hand shoved in his pants pocket, the other held in front of his broad chest in a strange half-formal, half-casual pose. That did suit Jayce, since he was neither fully formal nor fully casual, but it just looked weird to the average person. He waited for half an hour before a single horse and carriage came into view. It was black, ornamental obsidian spikes jutting out from the top and bottom of the carriage. The rider says nothing to Jayce but waits for the carriage door to open. Jayce’s mouth dropped a bit, recognizing the figure immediately. Caitlyn hadn’t been joking when they had said a notable person from Noxus would be coming to visit him. In fact, aside from Swain himself, this was the next person Jayce could think of that would be of notoriety.

“D-Darius?” Jayce stammered, eyes widening as he stared at the larger man. “You’re the Noxian dignitary?”

“Jayce Giopara, defender of Piltover. I see they got my request. Nice to officially meet you. Guess I’m in your care for the month. Don’t screw it up.” The general reached out a large hand. Jayce hesitated for a moment before reaching out to shake it. 

“I think you’ll find everything to your satisfaction. You’ll be staying with me at the mansion, if that’s fine with you?”

“Mansion? Look at you havin’ fancy digs like this. Even better than Noxus’s housing.” Darius grabbed the inventor’s shoulder, pulling him in close to whisper. “That stays between you and me, got that?” Jayce could only nod in response. Why was Darius so goddamn intimidating? Well, it was probably his giant size. He wasn’t more than an inch or two taller than Jayce, but he was certainly even broader, more muscular, and his face and voice only added to the intimidation factor.

And so, Jayce had given him the guest room nearest his own room in case Darius needed anything at any time of the day. For the first couple of days, the two men barely spoke to each other, only speaking during their shared meals, and a daily, half hour outing that Jayce had prepared ahead of time. However, on the fourth day, after lunch, Darius had decided to pay a surprise visit to Jayce’s workshop. Jayce had practically jumped off his workstool when the giant, firm hand had clasped his shoulder with some force. He had woken up bright and early to work on his current project. Weapon restoration and augmentation was a common practice for Jayce, and he’d wanted to get his work done when he had assumed Darius was sleeping. 

“Geez, dud- I mean, Darius. You almost scared the living shit outta me. Nobody really comes into my workshop without my permission. You shouldn’t be here.” 

Darius frowned, shaking his head. “Wanted to see ya. Cut the formal shit, would ya? It’s just you and me.” Jayce’s eyebrow rose. “I don’t need an act during my visit, and nobody’s gonna interfere. If I wanted formal bullshit, I’d have asked for a formal host. Your cop woman, a government official, or whatever. But I wanted a tour and host from Piltover’s poster boy, wanted to hear his side of things. Now, are you gonna drop the formal act and gimme honest answers, or do I gotta go explorin’ myself and report back sayin’ the defender of Piltover did a crap job respecting a Noxus official?”

Jayce’s cheeks heated, partly out of anger, but partly because Darius had been right. He was acting more nervous, more restrained ever since Darius had shown up and caught him off guard. If he lashed out here, he’d probably cause some unnecessary strain with Noxus. That wouldn’t do anybody well. So, he’d bite his lip for a second, only to shrug his shoulders. “Whatever. Fine. You want the real Jayce Giopara, here I am. Piltover’s great. High tech, completely secure from outside threats, and it’s got a handsome population.” He pointed to his own face, giving the general a bright smile. Darius chuckled, and for a second, Jayce thought he had caught a glimpse of pink on Darius’s cheeks when he grinned. Hmm.

“Noted. It’s always been an interesting city. Instead of the formal tour, what say you and me go for a casual walk, then take me to one of the better restaurants in Piltover, whatever that might be. Sound easy enough? We’ve got a month together, so might as well make use of it. No use acting all afraid or trying to avoid each other, right?”

“Right.” Jayce’s confidence levels rose slightly, though the request initially seemed harmless, what was the point of the restaurant suggestion? Did Darius want to try some of Piltover’s cuisine? They could just order in otherwise… No, that probably would rob Darius of an opportunity to eat amongst Piltovan elites. Jayce had just the place in mind: A restaurant frequently serving coastal food with some pricier dishes to boot, with no formal dress code so the two of them could remain casual while dining. Jayce nodded his head once, dismissed Darius for a couple of hours to plan ahead, then went back to tinkering with a weapon, making sure it had been cleaned of rust. Simple job, but the hard part would be augmenting it later. He’d have time.

Their walk was slightly awkward. Though Jayce was used to all eyes being on him as he roamed the streets of Piltover, head held high in a proud manner, the eyes had been focused on his companion. The defender of tomorrow walking with a Noxian could spark some rumors. Thankfully, Caitlyn had prepared the presses in advance, and it hadn’t come as a major shock to most citizens. The stares were still hard to avoid though, and Jayce could only offer Darius a slight shrug of apology.

“Not your fault. Guess it’s a good thing I don’t got my weapon on me. Pretty sure one of the shopkeeps back there would’a shit himself.”

Jayce stifled a chuckle, a hand quickly covering his mouth to recover from the unexpected laugh. “Good one. Guy’s name is Mathias, by the way. Total coward.”

“Maybe I should say hi on our way back?”

“Oh, I’m sure he’d love that!” Jayce joked. He was blissfully unaware that his own body and mind were feeling lighter than usual. By comparison to when he had first met Darius, Jayce was in a much better mood, and even Darius could tell, causing the general’s mouth to form its own smile.

When they had reached the restaurant, Darius stepped behind Jayce politely. This was Jayce’s city, and it was Jayce’s job to do all the talking. Darius knew his place as a guest, and he’d already had problems with existing in the city, eyes having followed them the entire distance between Jayce’s mansion and the eating establishment. It didn’t bother him in the slightest, but he did want to be as little of a burden to his host as possible. Darius felt a bit bad for the guy.

“So, uh.” Jayce began once they had been seated, snapping Darius out of his own thoughts.

“Hm?”

“How’re you likin’ my city?” Jayce tried to act casually, though his question is loaded, Darius knowing Jayce is expectantly waiting for a ‘correct’ reply. 

“It’s cool. A little too technologically advanced for my tastes, but nothing I couldn’t get used to. Pretty busy place too. Everybody just goes about doin’ their business, little to no major crimes and all that. Everybody seems to get along.”

“Yup. The police force and I do a great job of that, right?”

“You aren’t on the police force, huh? Thought that was just a mistake in our info.”

“Info? Well, no…” Would telling Darius about himself really be all that bad? There was a mention of information, which meant Noxus knew about Jayce and Caitlyn, but… Then again, that wasn’t too far fetched considering they had been the ones to ask Piltover for a visit. He took a breath, deciding it was only fair to tell Darius about himself and himself only. “I’m basically a vigilante. Poster boy, hero. I don’t directly work with the cops because I do my own thing. And… I just prefer being alone in my workshop with my inventions and my books.”

“That suits you. Kinda dorky though, don’tcha think?”

“H-Huh!?” Jayce hadn’t been expecting to be called a ‘dork’. He choked on his water for a second, complete lack of grace unbefitting of the local hero.

Darius let out a deep chuckle at the sight. “Relax, pretty boy. All I’m sayin’ is with a face like yours, and talents and intelligence to boot, you’d do well getting out more. Like socializing, maybe goin’ on a date with that Caitlyn woman. You two sure do get along?”

Why was Jayce being interrogated on this!? Of all the things a foreign dignitary could ask about, Darius was focusing on Jayce’s social life? The cool demeanor of the defender quickly went out the window as his cheeks burn. “We just get along. She’s a good friend. Family even. No love interest there. Okay? Can we change the subject?” He also wasn’t going to mention the fact that he hadn’t found anybody in the city even remotely attractive from a romantic standpoint. If he had to stay single for the rest of his life, then so be it. He was only pushing thirty though, and had a lot of time on his hands to find the perfect partner.

Darius had been thoroughly amused by embarrassing Jayce, and decided to let him off the hook, eyes darting back to a giant piece of meat placed before him. This would taste great! “Not half bad. Could get used to this. I-”

“What about you?” Jayce interrupted.

“What about me?”

“Yeah. Y’know, like… How’s the love life in Noxus?”

“That’s none of your business, Jayce-”

“It might not be, but you asked me first. Only fair that we trade information equally right? It’s just between you and me~” Jayce used Darius’ own words against him, attempting to coax the larger man.

Darius clenched his fist, knowing that to be true. There was no good argument otherwise. And… His own saying? It really was just the two of them. None of the other diners even cared much about their conversation. He sighed, then lowered his head in a defeated manner. “Too intimidatin’ to go on dates. Tried askin’ someone out once and they screamed ‘DON’T KILL ME’, then ran away like I was a maniac or somethin’.”

Jayce couldn’t hide his amusement, knowing smile plastered brilliantly on the poster boy’s face. That was definitely the truth, Jayce could feel it. And what an embarrassing truth that had been. Darius quickly lifted his head, giving Jayce a death glare so as to say ‘keep it a secret’, and Jayce nodded once.

“I’m a pretty truthful guy, y’know.” Jayce explained, praising himself. He had extreme troubles with lying, but secret exposing was never cool, and he was quite capable of keeping information under wraps. “None of what you say to me is gonna be repeated to anybody. Not even Caitlyn.”

“I trust you. Don’t have to explain to me.” Darius muttered, finishing up his meal. Jayce followed suit, unsure what to say. Had Darius gotten mad at him? For what reason? Darius had been the one to embarrass Jayce first! The inventor started to get worried as they finished their meal. The entire walk back to Jayce’s was silent too, though there were fewer eyes fixated upon them. And halfway through the walk, Jayce could swear someone had brushed his hand with their own, but when blue eyes darted to the hand, nothing was even close to it. Had some small child run between him and Darius? A bird maybe? 

When they finally return home, Jayce sighed heavily, stretching out a bit. They had made it through the day, and Jayce would call their outing a success. Bonding with each other, albeit embarrassing in the moment, was certainly a success that would bode well for the remainder of their month together. And Jayce is about to turn and wish his guest a good night when he felt an arm wrap around his waist. Jayce tensed, immediately whipping his head around to discover his assailant.

“D-Darius!?” Jayce’s eyes widen again. Though he’s shocked, Jayce doesn’t make a move to escape the general’s arm. “H-Huh? You good?”

Darius nodded his head, faint smile on his lips. This was too close for Jayce’s comfort, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. The inventor fell victim to Darius, waist pulled in rather easily. The Noxian’s other arm wrapped around Jayce’s chest and soon, the two were pressed together in a weird hug, which Jayce couldn’t break free from or reciprocate. “Look…” The general began, voice deep and quiet as if he wanted nobody else to hear.

“Listening… But kinda… Confused.” Jayce stammered, his body tense from the strange circumstances. Was he about to die? Murdered by a foreign general? Surely Darius wouldn’t get away with that right? Why didn’t he have his hammer on him?

“So y’know how I sorta was the one to request you personally be my host?”

“Yeah…?” He waited for a few moments, then, “Oh. OH!” Jayce finally put the pieces together. For one of the brightest minds in Piltover, the entire concept had been lost on him. He’d never been one for this type of affection, but Darius had done well in hiding his true intentions. Once the reasoning had been fully understood, Jayce’s entire body heated up, but he did his best to smirk at the other.

“Don’t act all weird. Had a good time tonight. Never had something like this in Noxus.”

“I imagine dinner dates aren’t within the Noxian daily life agendas, right?” 

“Wasn’t a date.” Darius squeezed the inventor’s body ever so slightly. Jayce noticed where Darius’ upper hand was squeezing. He did have some nice pecs, so Jayce couldn’t blame him for copping a feel. He still never would have imagined his night to go something like this.

“You’re a lot less intimidating when I know you have a crush on me.”

“Shut it.” Darius doesn’t deny Jayce’s accusation though. He eventually let go of Jayce, then ran a hand through his hair. “Wasn’t my intention to catch feelings for you, idiot. But we had a good time the last couple of days, teasin’ each other and you showing me around, talking about how you don’t really get much time to talk to other people, find a romantic interest, and I like honesty. Straight to the point. Well…”

Jayce turned to face the general, one hand on his hip, head tilted to the side as he attempted to assess the situation. Darius was… Intimidating. There was no question about that. But the man seemed much less harmful and scary when factoring in what Jayce knew now. Darius was pretty physically attractive. He was strong, loyal, and from their short talks, Darius and he got along quite well. What captivated Jayce most of all was indeed how terrible the two of them seemed when it came to romance. What type of person attempts to go out with another region’s local superstar under the guise of foreign relations? And then to just grab Jayce and unload the feelings onto him? This was ridiculous, but not unappealing in the slightest to Jayce. In fact, it was sort of ironic. 

“Anyway, sorry ‘bout all this.” What was Darius to do? He’d shot his shot, and he knew it was probably inappropriate, embarrassing… Jayce probably didn’t want to talk to him after this. But to Darius’ surprise, Jayce had snaked an arm around Darius’ waist this time, and before Darius could speak another word, Jayce had pressed his lips against Darius’. It lasted only a few seconds, but the inventor’s handsome face only displayed joy, some affection and interest. Darius sighed happily, then looked at the floor. 

Jayce chuckled. “Why don’t we see where this month leads us? If you’re not embarrassed enough to cut the trip off so early. I gotta say, you’ve got excellent taste in guy crushes. Y’know, many Piltovans have a crush on yours truly. You should consider yourself lucky that you’ve grabbed his attention.” Jayce's natural charisma flowed through him, any doubts and hesitation from being in Darius' presence washed away in the matter of a few hours. How would he ever explain this to Caitlyn? To anybody else in his clan? He'd ignore it and cross those bridges when he got to them.

“Lucky you haven’t been executed by my axe.” Darius fired back, though it was clear by his tone that he would never do such a thing.

“Oh!” Jayce snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering something because of his statement. “Come. Got somethin’ I wanna show ya.” Grabbing Darius’ arm, Jayce pulled him into the workshop, gesturing for Darius to sit down on the nearby workstool.

“Why’m I in here, Jayce? Didn’t you say I didn’t belong here?”

“Well, technically yeah. But aside from you being someone from another faction, I actually had another reason to keep you out.”

And then, Jayce produced a clean, polished axe from under the table, holding it out to Darius. Darius recognized the axe instantly, mouth hanging open a bit from shock. “This mine? Was wondering where this went… You… Polished it up?”

“Well, yeah. I was gonna augment it and send it with ya when you return to Noxus. Sorta like a peace offering between Piltover and Noxus. I was gonna reinforce the metal, make it a little sharper, rust-resistant. Nothing that changes the functionality, form or design of the axe unless you wanted that, but it’s the least I could do to try to get on your good side.”

“Are all you Piltover people this nice?”

“No. I’m just the one with the brains and the charm.”

“Lucky me for picking a great host then, right?”

“Yeah. About that. Just between you and me..?”

Darius raised an eyebrow. “Hm? What?”

Jayce would plant one soft kiss on his nose, in an attempt to be soft and endearing. That was how people normally show soft affection right? But the war general wouldn’t be satisfied with a nose kiss, and quickly yet firmly grabbed the other’s jaw, pulling their lips together. Darius gave Jayce a tiny nip on the lower lip, confident smirk as he pulled away. 

“Definitely between you and me. Nobody else.”


End file.
